An integrated marketing strategy goes so much deeper than just billboards and banner ads – the brand’s mission and values need to be felt through all facets of the organization, especially feeling alive and well in the customer service experience. Your employees are those who bring your brand’s values and messages to life. Sometimes they are the first interaction for your potential customers and should be your biggest advocates. Having your team, from leadership to sales force, live out the brand’s mission will not only increase revenue, but will build that trust and authenticity your brand desperately needs.

Here are four reasons why solid customer service via your employees is important to your brand:

Confirm Expectations

When a potential customer learns about a company through targeted marketing tactics, they make an assumption about that brand. When they move through the sales funnel to interact with your brand, your employees have an opportunity to bring that purpose and mission to life. It’s done through the customer experience, the way they answer phones, interact on premise and follow through with the brand promise. Ultimately, these points of contact direct consumers to the next step in the customer journey, hopefully all the way to a transaction.

Word of Mouth

Studies show that 7 in 10 Americans spend more money with companies they thought provided outstanding customer service. And in a digital world, brands can live or die by online reviews relating to customer service. These comments and ratings of the customer experience can help build trust and confidence in your brand. Let’s not forget about negative reviews, as these can also help businesses identify pain points and turn them into opportunities for improvement. By responding to customers leaving public reviews – good or bad – it shows that your brand is listening to its customers and cares about the brand’s reputation.

Brand Authenticity

Engage employees in your brand by casting team members in advertising materials is a key path to building trust and brand authenticity. Picture this – you’re in need of a new pediatrician. You see an ad for your local doctor’s office on your commute home from work, showcasing a smiling woman in a white coat with a stethoscope, and make an appointment. Upon arrival, you are greeted with a familiar face – that same smiling doctor. This positive brand association offers initial trust between the patient and the doctor’s office from the first experience.

Bringing Internal Gaps

By sharing brand values and purpose with all employees – from the CEO to the front desk to the warehouse – employees will all be singing the same tune. It makes employees feel more invested in their jobs, leading to higher job satisfaction, as well as appearing as a cohesive front to customers. And in some cases, incorporating internal employee input with brand building can create a bridge between marketing and multiple departments in the company. This brings in new ideas, addressing challenges and overall strengthens the company.

Companies spend time, energy and resources to create and curate these robust marketing strategies and tactics to draw in new customers and increase revenue. Following through on the brand promise highlighted in marketing campaigns includes customer service. Contact Morgan & Co. today to implement a captivating marketing strategy that will not only attract and excite customers, but also your employees.